More on Underage gambling and the phenomena known as TV Poker

[Brudder Andrusha]

Now guess who wants to also get in on the act!!!!!

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - On Bravo, it's "Celebrity Poker Showdown." On ESPN, it's "The World Series of Poker." On compulsive gambling help lines, the real stakes emerge.


Problem gamblers, enchanted by the Texas Hold 'Em games they see on TV and eager to get in on the action, are reaching out for treatment after they get in too deep, according to experts.

Now, a New Jersey lawmaker is calling on cable networks that air card games to start giving money to problem-gambling treatment agencies.

Ante up, or else, said Assemblywoman Joan Voss, who called Tuesday for a surcharge on New Jersey cable providers if the cable networks don't cooperate.

"Cable television channels that are heavily promoting the Texas Hold 'Em rage should be held responsible for some of the unglamorous side effects, like juvenile gambling addictions," said Voss, D-Bergen.

New Jersey casinos kick in $600,000 annually for anti-compulsive gambling programs; it's only fair that poker networks contribute, according to Voss, who said televised poker has bred a popular explosion of card games in suburban basements and increased participation on Internet gambling sites.

It has also led to problem gambling, according to Voss and compulsive gambling advocacy groups.

"The broadcast media has been very irresponsible in the way they've broadcast gambling-related shows," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, in Washington, D.C.

"They have almost completely failed to provide any sort of health warnings, public service announcements or responsible gambling tips," said Whyte, who said poker-playing minors are increasingly calling the National Council's help line.

For two years, Whyte has lobbied cable networks in hopes they would air information about the help line. The pleas have been ignored, he said.

In New Jersey, 28 percent of the nearly 20,000 calls made to the state help-line last year came from gamblers who cited cards or dice as their gambling vices, up from 4 percent in 2003, according to figures released Tuesday.

Many are high school- and college-age youths who idolize poker stars such as Chris Moneymaker and Phil Ivey.

"When they play Texas Hold 'Em in somebody's house, the parent is thinking, 'Wow, this is great, my teenager is in my house, in my basement. They must be safe,'" said Terry Elman, education coordinator for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, which is pushing to get problem-gambling awareness education into public schools.

Some youths fall victim to compulsive gambling.

A 16-year-old Mercer County boy, who began playing poker after a friend who'd watched it on cable TV got him involved, lost $10,000 in a two-year period before seeking help from the New Jersey council.

"That was the jumping-off point," said the boy, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We played at school and at home and then I started playing (poker) on the Internet."

Voss said easy access to the television coverage by young viewers is dangerous.

"Today's latchkey child is in danger of acquiring a gambling addiction due to the Texas Hold 'Em fad," she said.

The surcharge, she said, would be imposed on cable providers who air poker tournaments, requiring them to collect the money from cable networks without passing on the charge to customers.

"We just heard about it. We need to review it before we can respond," said ESPN spokeswoman Keri Potts. "Obviously, there's a lot we want to look through."

Dan Silberman, a spokesman for Bravo, said "Celebrity Poker Showdown" isn't really gambling, since the proceeds go to charity.

"`Celebrity Poker Showdown' is purely an entertainment show, with the purpose of donating money to charity. The celebrities who participate on our program are there to have fun while donating money for the charitable organization of their choice," he said.

[Guruman]

I'd agree with the notion that gambling addiction hotlines are conspicuosly absent from most poker broadcasts. I know that anytime I've placed bets online or walked into a casino that GA and other gambling associations are prominent.

I don't know about levying a tax on the networks, but there's no doubt in my mind that gambling (like any potentially addictive habit) has the potential to suck certain individuals in to the point where they need help to get out.

I'd just consider displaying GA info the responsible thing to do during a poker broadcast.

My .02

[Goodnews]

brings about _THAT_ ethical question again doesnt it? along with the conflict between money vs morals.

I've always believed that whatever happens in one's life, its up to them to help themselves, no exceptions.

[steamboatin]

ESPN or the travel channel, I can't remeber which runs a spot from the CEO of Harrah's about compulsive gambling. I have seen the spot numerous timesm but either it doesn't run in the New Jersey market, the lawmaker in the OP is clueless or just wants to grab some headlines from the poker boom.

It must be ESPN, Harrah's owns the WSOP, I believe and that is on ESPN.

[Brudder Andrusha]

Many are high school- and college-age youths who idolize poker stars such as Chris Moneymaker and Phil Ivey.

"When they play Texas Hold 'Em in somebody's house, the parent is thinking, 'Wow, this is great, my teenager is in my house, in my basement. They must be safe,'" said Terry Elman, education coordinator for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, which is pushing to get problem-gambling awareness education into public schools.

Some youths fall victim to compulsive gambling.

A 16-year-old Mercer County boy, who began playing poker after a friend who'd watched it on cable TV got him involved, lost $10,000 in a two-year period before seeking help from the New Jersey council.


NJ News had an interesting spot last night indicating that the gambling addiction amongst minors (U-18) has change in the last 9 months from Sports betting (which was in 1st place for many years) now to Poker. (Now known as the Texas Hold 'Em Phenomena).

While I'm a bit apprehensive when politicians start making noise about taxing the media (TV networks) about this sudden popularity, where are the parents who should be following what the youngsters are involved...

Maybe the schools should be involved a bit more here, and I don't mean from a social standpoint, but from a mathematical and economic understanding about what risk taking is all about.

NBC had a spot on the News a month ago which I posted in the News section and the parents were real happy because their kids were at home and no causing problems associated with past problems that teenagers got themselves involved with.

The NJ News also reported that there Anti-gambling coalition here in NJ had a video about the problems Poker causes for youngsters but the schools more often than not chose not to use in their educational cirriculums.

However, I remember there use to stock market games for high school students that went under the premise of Investing. No mention of whether you could lose all your nice investment!!!!

Poker has come a long way when you get teenagers idolizing stars like Chris-Make-More-Money-Moneymaker and The-Tiger-Woods-of-Poker-Phil-Ivey.

[Hellmouth]

[ QUOTE ]
ESPN or the travel channel, I can't remeber which runs a spot from the CEO of Harrah's about compulsive gambling. I have seen the spot numerous timesm but either it doesn't run in the New Jersey market, the lawmaker in the OP is clueless or just wants to grab some headlines from the poker boom.

It must be ESPN, Harrah's owns the WSOP, I believe and that is on ESPN.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was just going to post the same thing.

What about TILT?!?!?!

Greg

[Brudder Andrusha]

An extract from Detroit News...

The biographies of many of today's professional gamblers almost always reveal that they learned to gamble at a young age, often picking up the influence from their parents. In fact, much of the literature that discusses problematic gambling among young men and women states first and foremost that they learn about gambling from a parent. And, if parents don't mind their kids gambling, then fine. But times have changed and today, young people don't just pick up on gambling from family.

Kids today are learning about gambling from the World Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker, Celebrity Poker the Travel Channel, ESPN, Harrah's and a dozen or so prominent casino and cardrooms that are now affiliated with the production of poker on TV. They are learing about it from surfing the web, from nefarious pop-up ads, from spamming emails. And instead of begging mom or dad for ninety bucks for a pair of Nikes, Junior is now "investing" his lunch money and allowance in a poker game with his buds at school or online

In June of 2002, in an informal study, the FTC found that Intenet gambling sites had inadequate warnings about underage gambling prohibitions, and that some 20 percent had no warning at all. The survey found that these gambling sites had no effective mechanism to block minors from entering.

Earlier studies by different juristictions where gambling exists (casinos, lotteries, horse racing, etc.) have shown that anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of the teenage population (sixth through 12th graders) gambled more than once.

It's not just in the USA, either.

A report out of Great Britain in July 2004 noted ab experiment where a 16-year old girl was able to register on 30 gambling sites using her Solo (ATM/debit) card while .only seven others stopped her by requiring more than a statemt attesting to her legal age. A week later the government threatened to take away the licenses and/or fine any UK site that did not take sufficient measures to curb access to games of chance BY underage individuals.

For the complete article click here.

[stankphish]

Call me cold blooded but i think this is a good thing. If they are gonna get addicted to something it might as well be poker. If these kids (im a mere 20 by the way) werent aqquiring gambling problems it would be something else,like obesity, alcohol, or drugs and despite my age i have vast experience with addiction and addictive personalites, its not the particually addiction its the addicitive personality.i would much rather me, a good tax paying hard working citizen type, rake in the money from these little tykes than some scum bag heroin dealer or mickey dees. let that sautee

[ZenMusician]

[ QUOTE ]
A 16-year-old Mercer County boy, who began playing poker after a friend who'd watched it on cable TV got him involved, lost $10,000 in a two-year period before seeking help from the New Jersey council.


[/ QUOTE ]

1.) Sorry this is a supervision and parenting problem not a media
problem...this is the "Tom & Jerry promote violence" argument

2.) What disturbs me more is that a 16yo has access to and the
ability to spend and lose $10000 at a game that is for adults

3.) If a child idolized George Foreman as a minister, nice guy and
professional athlete and decided to get into Boxing and got a
concussion as a result, where is the blame then? The WBA?
ESPN? Foreman Grills Inc.? Don King?

No parent is perfect and no teenager can ever be 100% supervised;
that being said, blaming external sources for a problem that
emerges in your household usurps the role of the parent/guardian.
The house is only as strong as its foundation. The problem
gambling teen is the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately we
live in a media sensationalist society and a litigious one at that...
let's take some responsibility for our kids and guide them and
educate them and PLEASE stop passing the buck.

-ZEN

[Bacchus]

Well said, Zen.